Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is hard. In this heart-pounding follow-up to Tangled by New York Times bestseller Emma Chase, Kate reveals that there is trouble in paradise, when unexpected circumstances force her and Drew to "renegotiate" their relationship.

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself—and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice; the most important of my life. Drew already made his—in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville, Ohio, alone. Well, sort of alone...

What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead.

Author Bio and Links

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

I liked this book but not as much as Tangled. It's quite different - more intense and dramatic, less funny. It starts with Kate's POV and we get Drew's POV towards the end.

Kate was a nice character, but her voice tended to sound too similar to Drew's. Some of her thoughts were deep, other just hilarious. She gave us a new picture of Billy (her ex-boyfriend) and here he was just a good guy form her past, willing to stand by her side in her present. There was none of the negativity from book 1 and I didn't find this sudden change of heart and mind very convincing.

What we saw of Drew at the beginning, only from her POV,was sweet and funny, sexy and arrogant, in short, Mr. Drew Evans at his best.

My main issue with this story was the fact that the main conflict was based on a simple misunderstanding that could have been very easily avoided, or at lest cleared right away. Instead we got both Kate and Drew acting irrationally and in a hurry, thus making the worst possible choices.

I hated that this particular devise was used by the writer to drive the story forward and the explore the difficulties of a modern-day relationship between two highly ambitious, confident and competitive people. They were madly in love, yet they were unable to communicate freely about the things that mattered to them the most.

I did enjoy the second half of he book (after the reconciliation) a lot more than the first. We got Drew's POV and it was great fun to read it. There was depth and substance without the (melo)drama from the beginning. Things fell back into place and now they were much more realistic and convincing.

The epilogue was fantastic, I loved everything about it and I am really glad how things worked out for Kate and Drew in the end.

Despite some issues I had with the story, I'd recommend this book the fans of Tangled since it completes the story of Kate and Drew.

The next installment in the series, Tamed, will tell Mathew and Delores' story and can't way to read it since Delores is a rather unique heroine in romance and I'm curious how she'll make a romantic relationship work.

There are three things you need to know about Sandra Fielding: 1) She makes all her first dates cry, 2) She hasn't been kissed in over two years, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Sandra has difficulty removing her psychotherapist hat. Of her last 30 dates, 29 have ended the same way: the man sobbing uncontrollably. After one such disaster, Sandra--near desperation and maybe a little tipsy--gives in to a seemingly harmless encounter with her hot waiter, Alex. Argumentative, secretive, and hostile Alex may be the opposite of everything Sandra knows is right for her. But now, the girl who has spent all her life helping others change for the better, must find a way to cope with falling for someone who refuses to change at all.

AUTHOR BIO AND CONTACT

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.Contact: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest

EXCERPT

Next came my socks. I ventured a bit further and pulled off my sweater and shirt, then my pants. I draped them over the back of my comfy chair and heard a stifled choke from behind me.

Alex stood at the precipice to the room, his gaze on my bare legs and back. I glanced at my plain purple cotton bra and underwear. They were just as modest, if not more so, as a bathing suit. I turned toward him with a question on the tip of my tongue and he flinched. He then averted his eyes and looked everywhere but at me.

I frowned, not prepared for his overreaction, and tried to think of something to make the moment less uncomfortable. “Um… Do you want something to drink?”

“I was promised hot chocolate.” His voice was strained.

“Okay, I’ll start the water.”

He studied my bulletin board. “You’re not going to get dressed first?”

I shrugged. “I guess I could.”

His gaze abruptly met mine. “You should.”

The heat in his eyes surprised me. And then I laughed. If old cotton underwear could get him this worked up, I should have tried it two weeks ago.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Bond?” I posed against the chair, deepened my voice, raised an eyebrow, “Are you afraid for my health and safety? Concerned I’ll catch a cold?”

Holding my gaze, Alex peeled off his jacket and boots. His long sleeve shirt followed, leaving him bare chested. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands to keep my eyes from straying.

“Keeping your pants on?”

“I have nothing under these pants.”

Oh… ideenentgleisung!

My eyes widened. I couldn’t help it. What was I thinking about? I completely lost my thought.

“Ah.” I nodded, took a tentative step toward him, trying to remember what happened right before he told me about his commando status. “I see.”

“What now?” He asked.

I wanted to say, Now the pants!

GIVEAWAY

The Blog Tour orgainzers and Ms Reid are offering the following very, very generous giveaway - 1 MASSIVE Giveaway winner (open internationally) will get signed print copies of the following books.

The night I saw Shane Arthur watching me everything changed. A man in a suit always catches my eye, but it was the way he looked at me that was different. Like he knew me or something. He didn’t know me, especially not in my costume. My sobriety rests on staying away from men, but there was something about him that made me throw caution to the wind.

After all, I was never going to see him again, right?

Wrong.

Standing still isn’t the only way I make my money. I also bartend at a concert hall. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Shane was going to show up there. Not only that, but he’s the most recent addition to the orchestra. So now on a daily basis I have to resist one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever met and he plays the violin. For me that’s one hell of a deadly cocktail.

He wants me to teach him how to live. I’m not sure how much a twenty-six year old recovering alcoholic who works in a bar and moonlights as a living statue can teach a world class concert violinist, but I’m sure going to try.

Review

This was my first book by L. H. Cosway and I enjoyed it a lot. I expected it to be different, darker, instead I got a realistic, yet magical romance which left me feeling really happy in the end.

A lot of things worked for me this book. It's a great contemporary romance set in Dublin. I liked how the author mixed realism with meant-to-be cosmic type of love story. The undercurrent element of fate was not obvious from the start but gradually it took more and more place in the story.

The story is told solely from Jade's (the heroine) POV. I loved her character - determined, strong, funny and artistic. I felt that the tragedies in her life were a bit too much and sometimes she came off a know-it-all, giving advise on everything. At the same time this was countered rather well by her total confusion as regards her relationship with Shane. She knew that it was more than friendship, more than even friends with benefits, yet it took her forever to admit her true feelings and to act on them.

Shane was a wonderful character on his own, but he was even more amazing with Jade. I expected more darkness and artistic broodiness from a musical virtuoso like him, but he was all too human in his shyness and security, lack of real friends. He was just a sensitive guy who had suffered a terrible betrayal. His mother, as much as I didn't like her, summed him up perfectly in one word - vulnerable. Yet, I liked how certain he was of his feelings for Jade, how persistent her was, yet he never pushed her too far, never acted stalkerish in his attention to her.

Their chemistry was of the charts but Jade's continuous reluctance to get fully involved in the relationship was annoying. I also felt the mundane descriptions of her cooking, cleaning, working at the bar, selling tickets, etc. were too much and unnecessary. The inner world of the characters was rich and interesting enough without the constant reminders of the mundane aspects of their lives.

I really liked the strong presence of art and artistic expression in this story. From Shane playing the violin on stage and Jade posing as a live statue on the street to the performance they both took part in, art was there all the time. It gave a whole new layer to the story, bringing magic into everyday life.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read for me. I'd love to see Jade's brother, Alec, get a book of his own - his story and the relationship with Avery would be very interesting to read.

I've had another of Ms Cosway's contemporary romance, Painted Faces, on my TBR pile for a while now and I think it's finally time to get to it.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) or a few more “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• Be careful not the include spoilers!

This week's teaser comes from Twistedby Emma Chase. It's book 2 in her Tangled series - a funny and sexy contemporary romance series. I just finished the book and it was good but not as good as book 1, Tangled. There was humor and some sexy times, but there was also some drama and a lot of misunderstandings. I'm part of the Blog tour for Twisted, so you can check my blog on 31 March for my review, an excerpt and a giveaway!

Here is the teaser:And sometimes, forgiveness is selfish. We give it not because it's earned, but because it's what we need. To find peace. To be whole.

Synopsis

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself – and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice, the most important of my life. Drew already made his –in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville. Alone. Well, sort of alone....

What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard and sometimes you have to go back to where you began, before you can move ahead.

TWISTED picks up two years after Tangled’s end, and is told from Kate’s POV.

Twenty-one-year-old Natalia Stolfi is saying goodbye to painful memories—and turning her life upside down with a trip to the land down under. For the next six months, she’ll pretend to be a carefree exchange student. Everything is going to plan until she meets a surly surfer with hypnotic green eyes, and the troubling ability to see straight through her act.

Bran Lockhart is having the worst year on record. After the girl of his dreams turned into a nightmare, he slunk back to Melbourne to piece his life together. Yet no amount of disappointment could blind him to the pretty California girl who gets past all his defenses. He’s never wanted anyone the way he wants Talia. A single semester abroad won’t cover something this serious. But when Bran gets a stark reminder of why he stopped believing in love, he and Talia must decide if what they have is once-in-a-lifetime . . . or if there’s a plane to California with her name on it.

*** *** ***

Author Bio and Links

Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments.

1. UPSIDE DOWN is set primarily in Australia. What do you think it is about Australia that so captivates people’s imaginations? And why is Australia the perfect place for romance?

I jumped on a Qantas flight the month before my twenty-first birthday for a study-abroad trip. My expectations were simple: cross the equator, pass the International Date Line and rock out (er, study REALLY HARD) for six months. Instead, I discovered a place that has become my second home.

First and foremost, I love Australians. I mean that quite literally. I married one--the perfect souvenir! Generally speaking, Australians excel at dry wit and have one heck of an anti-authoritarian streak. To me, nothing is sexier than a sense of humor, and when the guy making the jokes has a hot accent and cheeky grin? Life=made!

Secondly, to say that Australia’s landscape is dramatic is an epic understatement. The continent’s isolation has spawned animal, plant and human diversity that are like nowhere else on the planet. Even a quick jaunt into the wilderness yields a bone-deep sense that you are in an ancient place.

This is a country of extremes. When it’s hot, it’s bloody hot. When animals are poisonous, it means they can kill you with one bite. When there’s a storm rolling in from the Southern Ocean? Those waves are going to be huge.

So if you fall in love in such a place? Buckle up--the ride’s going to be intense.

Drink less! I kid, I kid. But if you ever want to see a KICKASS Michael Jackson lip-synch, slip me a bottle of tequila. I can "Man in the Mirror" you to tears. I have worked in non-profit middle management, as a legislative assistant, and barista. I'm pretty sure my mom believes I still "pour coffee."

5. What’s your dream travel destination?

I have a massive Antarctica fetish (I’ve been once. A penguin sat on my lap. Yes, it was bliss). My ultimate trip would be to South Georgia Island smack dab in the Southern Ocean. I’d also love to visit Madagascar, Iceland, Svalbard, Palau…islands are sort of my thing.

*** *** ***

Excerpt

“Never have I ever worn handcuffs,” I say.

Bran reaches over, yanks the lid off the water bottle and takes a sip.

“Really?” My stomach lurches at the idea of another girl within five feet of him.

Lawrence Ellis, with vast wealth and power, has made it known that he wants control of Signal Bend, Missouri. He is a man who always gets what he wants; there are no limits to the lengths he'll go, and he has the means to pay all manner of people to do his dirty work for him. The Night Horde MC, led by its President, Isaac Lunden, is wildly outmatched but prepared nonetheless to defend their hometown to the last man, and they are willing to do whatever they must to protect their home. Lilli Accardo, Isaac’s old lady, with her own special skills and resources, stands with them, rebelling against Isaac’s need to shield her.

After toying with them for months, Ellis loses patience for the game and rains down destruction on the Horde, their families, and the town itself. Tested to their very limits, beyond anything they could have imagined, forced to travel dark roads, the citizens of Signal Bend fight a war no one—not even they themselves—thinks they can win.

Challenged constantly from without, beset by their own inner demons, Isaac and Lilli must find the true strength within their bond. Isaac needs to protect what is his; Lilli needs to stand on her own; but they are stronger side by side.

Even in the deepest darkness, love brings hope.

NOTE: dark themes; explicit sex and violence.

Review

This is the second book in the Singal Bend series and it continues the story of Issac and Lilli and follows the Horde MC throught he attack on its town and the aftermath.

This book had a different feel compared to the Move the Sun (my reivew). It was much more violent and the focus was not only Lilli and Issac but other members of the MC and the fate of Signal Bend.

The writing still has the same solid, strightforward and raw beautiy we saw in book 1. The journey of the main characters in their relationship was well down and convincing. Lilli appreared weaker than before but I think it's understndable since she was so out of her element - being an old lady, living with Issac, being pregnant and on top of it all being ivolved in some horrific act of violance both as a victim herself and as a witness.

The initial portion of the story was focused on Lilli and Isaac working things through in their relationship. There was depth to their characters and the journey they undego to their happily ever after.

The middle section was non-stop violence and was overwhelming at times, espcially Show's story and later Lilli's encounter with Ellis. I was quite taken aback by it and wish it was toned down a little.

My main issue is not with the violance itself - it can be expected when the Horde MC is involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities. What bothered me was that the good guys were just as merciless and brutal in their retribution as the bad guys. I liked Issac and Show and Bart and most of the Horde brothers but still they resorted far too easily to physical violence and even torture to achieve their goals. I am not a big supporter of "The end justifies the means" philosophy.

Final qaurter of th story took us back to the personal level of things and focused on Isaac and Lilli's relationship again. There was some painful moments and some heart-warming oneswhich left me with tears in my eyes. I liked that things worked out for everyone in the end but if felt too good to be true. It can't be that easy for former criminals and people who were forced to
do or be involved in acts of cruelty and violance suddenly become
upstanding citizens and just forget everything that happened before. It
took away from the realistic nature of the rest of the story.

The next book in the series, Into the Storm, tells Show's story and after suffering the ultimate loss, he deserves happiness more than anyone else in this series.

A former football star and one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cade Morgan will do anything to nail a corrupt state senator, which means he needs Brooke Parker’s help. As general counsel for a restaurant company, she can get a bug to the senator’s table at one of her five-star restaurants so the FBI can eavesdrop on him. All Cade has to do is convince Brooke to cooperate—and he’s not afraid to use a little charm, or the power of his office, to do just that.

AND WHAT HE WANTS IS HER.

A savvy businesswoman, Brooke knows she needs to play ball with the U.S. Attorney’s office—even if it means working with Cade. No doubt there’s a sizzling attraction beneath all their sarcastic quips, but Brooke is determined to keep things casual. Cade agrees—until a surprising turn of events throws his life into turmoil, and he realizes that he wants more than just a good time from the one woman with whom he could fall terrifyingly, irresistibly in love . . .

Review

I have read most of Ms James previous books in this series and I really enjoyed them. Overall these are contemporary romances featuring strong professional heroes and heroines (mostly lawyers /attorneys, FBI agents and the occasional hacker genius).

In this story both main characters, Cade and Brooke are lawyers. He is an Assistant U.S. Attorneyand she is General Counselor for a restaurant company.US. They are very much alike - successful at highly demanding professions, yet their personals relationships are total failures. Cade and Brooke are both smart and witty and their conversations are a real pleasure to read - continuous jabs and inside jokes.

I was not a big fan of Cade from the previous books but he grew on me in this one. His background story and the side plot with his half-brother really made him stand out in a very positive light to me. He had a lot of personal issues to work through and his journey towards openness, forgiveness and love was an interesting one to follow.

I felt there was slightly more depth and development in Cade's character compared to Brooke. Don't get me wrong, I liked her very much as well, but her issues and how she dealt with them didn't grab my attention as Cade's did. She was very much focused on her career and it stemmed in a way from a kind of obligation she felt to her parents. She just needed to figure what was really important for her, what made her happy and things were pretty easy from then on.

The relationship between Cade and Brooke started casually since they both have been dumped a few times too many, neither of them was willing to go for a more serious sort of relationship. I liked how naturally things between them happened and even the reasons for their break-up seemed quite believable and fitting to the characters.

The story feels very real, it shows some everyday issues couples face today - demanding career for both he man and the woman, some family issues. It was easy to relate to them, they feel like real people with real problems who need to find a compromise between a successful career and successful relationship.

I enjoyed the parallel plot line with Cade's brother and the girl he was trying to impress. It gave some rather cute insight into the complicated relationships of the adults in the story.

The next book in the series, It Happened One Wedding, will tell Vaughn's (FBI agent and Cade's friend) story. It will be released in May and I can't wait to read it!

I'm happy to share with you an short and sexy excerpt from Twisted (Tangled #2) by Emma Chase. The book continues the romance of Drew and Kate and it releases next week. Visit my blog on 31 March when the Blog Tour will stop by so you can read my review of the book and to enter a fantastic giveaway. For now, enjoy this bittersweet excerpt!

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself – and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice, the most important of my life. Drew already made his –in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville. Alone. Well, sort of alone....

What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard and sometimes you have to go back to where you began, before you can move ahead.

TWISTED picks up two years after Tangled’s end, and is told from Kate’s POV.

Excerpt

I close my eyes and let his words wash over me. Drew has an amazing voice. Calm and soothing - but devilishly seductive at the same time. He totally could’ve gone into radio.

I press another button.

And this time his tone is teasing. “Kaate, you’re late. . Tell Delores to pick out her own god damn shoes. You’ve got a boyfriend who’s sitting in a big, frothy Jacuzzi all by his lonesome. Come home, sweetheart. I’m here waiting for you.”

If only that was true today.

There’s more - some are quick and to the point, some are downright dirty. And I listen to every single one. He doesn’t say ‘I love you’ in any of them - but he doesn’t have to. I hear it in every word. Every time he says my name.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) or a few more “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• Be careful not the include spoilers!

My teaser this week comes from Behold the Stars by Susan Fanetti. It's a biker romance/thriller and it's the second book in the Signal Bend series. It can't be read as a standalone since it continues with the story of the main couple from book 1, Move the Sun (my review). I just finished Behold the Stars and it was an intense read, quite brutal at times but it had its tender moments, as well. I will be reviewing it later this week.

Here is the teaser:

... He'd been rocked on Christmas morning to discover how scared, how scarred, his warrior woman was. He'd known that she wasn't all right - he could feel it like a low-voltage current under everything she said and did, especially when she thought he wasn't watching - he'd had no idea how high the voltage was in her head.

Lawrence Ellis, with vast wealth and power, has made it known that he wants control of Signal Bend, Missouri. He is a man who always gets what he wants; there are no limits to the lengths he'll go, and he has the means to pay all manner of people to do his dirty work for him. The Night Horde MC, led by its President, Isaac Lunden, is wildly outmatched but prepared nonetheless to defend their hometown to the last man, and they are willing to do whatever they must to protect their home. Lilli Accardo, Isaac’s old lady, with her own special skills and resources, stands with them, rebelling against Isaac’s need to shield her.

After toying with them for months, Ellis loses patience for the game and rains down destruction on the Horde, their families, and the town itself. Tested to their very limits, beyond anything they could have imagined, forced to travel dark roads, the citizens of Signal Bend fight a war no one—not even they themselves—thinks they can win.

Challenged constantly from without, beset by their own inner demons, Isaac and Lilli must find the true strength within their bond. Isaac needs to protect what is his; Lilli needs to stand on her own; but they are stronger side by side.

A few minutes ago, I drifted further from reality, trying to unravel the past.

And now...everyone thinks I’m insane. But, I know he's real, and I know he needs me.

Do you believe me?

Review

I'm always curious about books with characters dealing with mental/psychological issues, so I was very much intrigued by the vague and cryptic blurb of this book. After reading it, I can say that it turned out to be a beautifully told story of psychological trauma. It was stunning and it's definitely one of my top reads for 2014 so far.

This is the story of Naomi who finds herself in mental hospital fighting with the voices in her head. The story unravels as she shares her past with her doctor. Starting 10 years before, we meet Lachlan (the hero) and Lana (the best friend) and it was one year before Naomi's mental breakdown that Max (the new love interest) entered her life. It's NA story since the characters are in their early 20s, yet it's not your typical NA college story. It's a story about the worst kind of abuse, the psychological trauma caused by it and the struggles of the heroine to overcome it.

I guessed some of the mystery early on by part of it remained unclear to me till the very end. The story kept me on the edge the whole time I was reading it. The parts with Naomi in the mental institution, fighting the voices in her head were especially powerful and captivating. I was sucked into her world and kept wondering right till the very end about her, Lachlan, Max and Lana. What is real and what isn't? Whom to believe - Naomi or the others? The journey into Naomi's mind was painful, her present state of mind quite disturbing and unclear.

Despite the gloomy mood for most of the book, there is also some hot loving and romance. What I felt was missing was a little more insight on Lachlan - both in their childhood and in their relationship in the present. I keep asking myself - when did he learn the truth, why he didn't act earlier, could he have done something different to save Naomi some pain and suffering, what was he thinking about Max. I guess it would have ruined some of the mystery but there are moments in the story where I felt his POV was crucial.

The greatest strength of the book is that it stayed with me after I finished it. I kept thinking back to what I've read and trying to put back into place all the event and facts, now that I knew the real story. I loved the epilogue- it completed the story in the perfect way without sugarcoating things and going right away for a sweet happily ever after.

It's not an easy read, there is a lot of darkness and pain in it, but it's the kinds of book that you don't forget.

I rarely do cover reveals but Karina Halle is one my favourite authors and I am really excited about her new series, Dirty Angels, which a spin-off The Artist Trilogy.

Title: Dirty Angels (Dirty Angels #1)

Author: Karina Halle

Release Date: Spring / Summer 2014

Synopsis

For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.

When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.

Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.

As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.

Unless she ruins him first.

***WARNING*** This book deals with drug cartels and as such it contains a lot of sex and violence and some violent sex. It can get pretty ugly, pretty dark and pretty crazy. There is drug use, abuse, a bit of torture and dubious consent. The hero is not a hero and the villains...well, they're even worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, please do not read. This ain't no cupcake farting unicorn kind of book***

Excerpt

There was a strange moment of silence and I concentrated hard, trying to hear more than the obvious. They were all waiting. Waiting for the order. Waiting for the man in charge to speak.

He did.

It came from the left of me. His voice was cool, calm and collected. I didn’t have to see to know who had taken me. The man I’d heard so much about. The man I’d been taught to fear.

“Gentleman,” he said and I could almost feel his infamous eyes on my body, “remove the bag.”

There was a rustle and my face was immediately met with cool air that seized my lungs and bright lights that blinded me. I scrunched up my face, afraid to look, to see. Now it was all so real and I wanted to stay in the dark.

“Who did this?”

Suddenly cool hands were at my swollen cheek and I flinched.

“Who did this?” my captor repeated, an edge to his level voice, his cigar-laced breath on my face.

“Sorry,” Franco mumbled. “It was the only way to quiet her.”

A heavy pause filled the room like deadweight. Finally the fingers came away from my skin and my body relaxed momentarily. I felt the man stand in front of me, bending over so he was in my face, the spicy scent of tea and tobacco emanating off of him.

“Look at me Luisa Reyes.”

Chavez, I thought to myself, I will always be Luisa Chavez.

“Darling, aren’t you curious to where you are?”

“My name is Luisa Chavez,” I said. I opened my eyes to see golden ones staring right back at me. It was like looking at an eagle. “And I know where I am. I know who you are. You are Javier Bernal.”

He raised his brow in amusement and nodded. I’d seen his picture before, on the news. There was only one and that was his mugshot but even in that photo, his eyes made an impression on you. They saw right into your depths and made you question yourself. He was one of the men whom Salvador feared, even though Salvador had more power. He was the one I had been told to watch out for, the supposed reason why I’d always been locked in the compound or escorted by the local police to go shopping.

And yet here I was, tied to a chair in a cold, leaking basement with nothing in it except five cartel members, a video camera and a knife that lay on top of a stool in front of me.

All of that for nothing. I could escape Salvador but I could never escape the cartels.

I had asked for this fate.

“You know why you’re here,” Javier said with deliberation, straightening up in his sharp black suit. He walked over to the stool, swiping up the knife, and glancing at me over his shoulder. “Don’t you?”

I could only breathe. I wanted to look at the others, at Este, at Franco, at the two other mystery men, but I was frozen in his gaze like a cow in headlights.

“What is the knife for?” I asked, my throat painfully dry.

“You’ll find out after,” he said. “It is for your husband. For your Salvador.” He stepped to the side and waved his arm at the camera. “And this is also for him.”

He eyed someone over my shoulder and gave a sharp nod. I heard a rip from behind and a piece of duct tape was placed over my mouth. I squirmed helplessly and the lights in the basement dimmed. The men stepped to the side while Javier went behind the video camera. A white light came off the front of it and bathed me in an eerie glow.

Javier cleared his throat, his face covered in shadow and said loudly, projecting to the camera, “This is Luiza Reyes, former beauty queen of the Baja State and property of Salvador Reyes. Salvador, we have your wife and we have a long list of demands, demands which I know you can meet. I expect full cooperation in this matter, or she dies in the next seven days. If she’s lucky. I’ll give you some time to think about what you’re willing to give up for her. Then we’ll be contacting you. Good bye.”

The light on the camera switched off but the rest of the room remained dim.

“I hope your husband checks his emails often. It would be a shame to have to put this on YouTube.”

There was a smirk on his face at that as he slowly walked toward me, the knife glinting in his hand. His eyes burned through the shadows, then grew somber.

He held up the knife. “I think it’s only going to hurt the first time.”

My eyes focused on the silver of the blade but the terror inside me grew too strong and my urge to breathe through the duct tape became too difficult. My lungs seized in panic, pulsing dots appeared in my vision. I felt a hand on my collarbone, gripping the edge of my blouse and then everything went black.

About the Author

With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible. Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiance and rescue pup. Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency.

Lilli Accardo moves to the dying town of Signal Bend, Missouri, where the citizens have made a devil’s bargain to stay afloat. Lilli quickly garners the attention of the whole town, particularly Isaac Lunden, President of the Night Horde Motorcycle Club and de facto protector of the town and its citizens. When it turns out that Lilli is there under murky circumstances, Isaac decides to get close and try to figure out what she’s hiding. Their chemistry is instantaneous and electric, but each is a potential danger to the other. Action, sex, and drama ensue as Isaac and Lilli try to navigate the rocky terrain between trust and threat. Note: Explicit sex and violence.

Review

The biker books are really popular at the moment and it feels like a new one is published everyday. I've only read, Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley and it's one of my favourite books of hers.

After reading some great reviews of Ms Fanetti's book and decided to give it try and I'm more than happy I did. It can definitely rival Motorcycle Man in my affection, though the writing style of the two books is completely different.

Move the Sun is more than just a biker romance. It's a vividly told story of love and trust, honor and justice. It has a strong Sons of Anarchy and Justified vibe, and since I'm a fan of both TV series, I liked it a lot.

On the surface it is just another biker book - there is violence and illegal activities, sexy bad boys and easy women and ultimately true love. What makes this story stand apart are the well developed main characters, especially the heroine. Lilli is not your typical good girl falling for the bad boy biker. She isn't your typical bad girl, either. She is an ex-soldier, strong and smart, completely alone after losing her family, but she is comfortable in her skin and she knows what she wants and doesn't hesitate to goes after it.

Issac is more predictable than her - president of an MC club, de facto leader and protector of his city. He has a softer side, though - he cares for his people, his town and comes to care most of all for Lilli. He is no stranger to violence and his adherence to the principle of the end justifies the means, didn't sit very well with me.

They are a perfect match - strong, challenging each other but accepting the other with his/her baggage and issues. I think that they really formed a strong relationship, by overcoming issues of trust and choosing to be together against all odds.

I liked how the author created the perfect atmosphere of a dying small rural town. In succinct and a bit melancholic style Ms Fanetti manages to build the right settings for her story to develop - the town, the crafts fair, the Horde MC - they all had a character of their own.

The story flows very well, the writing is smooth and engaging. I liked how the plot is developed through flashbacks to Lilli's past. There was a good mix of romance (hot love scenea where the sex was on the rough side) and suspense. I found a minor loophole in the plotline of Lilli's mission but it didn't bother me too much.

Technically the book doesn't end with a cliffhanger in terms of Isaac and Lilli's relationship. Still, the whole story works as a build up for a certain conflict and it's all left to play out in the next book in the series, where Issac and Lilli are again the main characters.

I generally think this is a great biker story that got me deeply invested in the characters, despite the questionable morality of some of their actions. I will be continuing with the next book, Behold the Stars, as soon as possible.